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This glossary contains definitions for words used throughout the website.  If you have a suggestion of a word that should be included here, please e-mail me at tim@mr-anderson.com.



Browse the glossary using this index

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D

dactyl

:
a three-syllable foot with the stress on the first.

declarative sentence

:
A sentence that makes a statement.

decode

:
To analyze spoken or graphic symbols of a familiar language to ascertain their intended meaning. Note: To learn to read, one must learn the conventional code in which something is written in order to decode the written message.

definitional

:
A reference, explanation or comment usually placed below the text on footnote a printed page.

denotation

:
The literal or "dictionary" meaning of a word.

denouement

:
the final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot; the events following the climax of a drama or novel in which such a resolution or clarification takes place

description

:
One of the four traditional forms of composition in speech and writing that gives a verbal picture of a character and an event, including the setting in which they occur.

dialect

:
A form of language as it is spoken in a particular geographic area or by a particular social or ethnic group.

dialogue

:
A conversation between two or more characters in a work that is used by writers to give insight into the characters themselves.

diction

:

Clarity and distinctiveness of pronunciation; choice of words in speaking or writing.

digraphs

:
Two successive letters that make a single sound (e.g., ea in bread or ng in sing).

dynamic character

:
A character who undergoes a change during the course of a story.